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THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS 



THE TWILIGHT 

» 

OF THE GODS 



BY JOSEPHINE DASKAM BACON 




NEW YORK 

MITCHELL KENNERLEY 

1915 



COPYRIGHT 1914 BY 
MITCHELL KENNERLEY 



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out 

APS 12 1916 



THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS 



The Twilight of the Gods 



SCENE I 

A vast indefinite vault of blue, faintly studded 
with stars. On a lustrous cloud, firm about the 
edge, as in ancient pictures, sit the Three Per- 
sons of the Christian Trinity. God is repre- 
sented as a severe, yet benignant man, on a 
throne of sapphire, elderly, with a snowy 
heard; Christ is a dreamy young Jew with a 
crown of thorns; the Holy Ghost in the form 
of a dove. 

A vague, sweeping melody, as of harps, is 
always in the air; from time to time a white, 
swift shape, winged, shoots across the blue 
vault. From below, as from a distant pit, comes 
a confusion of sound, like the buzzing of bees. 
Sometimes a groan, sometimes a laugh, some- 
times a high note, as of a trumpet, penetrates 
to the throne. Most often the wail of an in- 

1 



8 The Twilight of the Gods 

fant or a clear bell, as it is rung before the 
sacrament for the dying, mounts above the rest. 
At intervals the heavy boom of a cannon shakes 
through everything, followed by the screaming 
shriek of shells. 

The chant of priests is heard: As it was in 
the beginning, is now and ever shall be ! 

A Sharp Voice 
Forward, march ! 

The Priests 

World without end, amen I 

The Sharp Voice 
Fire! 

[A crashing volley of heavy artillery obliter- 
ates all other sound for a moment, and a 
volume of smoke rolls up to the throne. The 
screams of horses and a thick odor of blood 
mount sluggishly together.'\ 

Children's Voices 

Jesus, tender shepherd, hear me, 
Bless thy little lamb to-night, 



The Twilight of the Gods 9 

Through the darkness be thou near me, 
Keep me safe till morning light! 

Christ [advancing to the edge of the cloud and 
spreading out his hands with a gesture of 
infinite sweetness^ 

It seems that I cannot hear them so well, 
to-night. 

[^There is a sudden odor of lilies, and a flock 
of tiny cherubim flutter like nezv birds across 
the blue vault. Behind them appears the 
Virgin, standing upon a cloud, the crescent 
moon under her feet. A sword is thrust 
through her heart, which drops blood over 
her blue robe. These drops turn to rubies as 
they fall to the earth. Tears continually roll 
from her eyes, and fall into the sea as pearls. 
She approaches the throne.^ 

God 

Who is that? 

Christ 

That is Mary, my Mother. 

God 

I suppose she is bringing the prayers? 



lo The Twilight of the Gods 

Christ 

Without doubt. 

l^Mary approaches and falls upon her knees 
before the throne. Immediately the sounds 
from below become louder and more dis- 
tinct: words are plainly heard.'\ 

A Rough, Drunken Voice 
God damn your soul to hell! 

A Woman's Voice 

Take me — Oh, take me, God, and save the 
child! 

A Young Man's Voice 

I swear to God I never promised that to any 
other woman ! 

A Child's Voice 

I never stole it — ask God, and he will tell 
you I never took the sugar I Please don't 
beat me, mother I 

A Young Girl's Voice 

O God, I beg and pray thee to let me die! 
May I not die, God? 



The Twilight of the Gods ii 

A Boy's Voice 

Dear God, when I wake up, please let me 
find the knife with two blades by the bed! 
If I find it in the morning, I know I shall 
always be good! 

A General's Voice 

God bless you, my brave men, and bring to 
our impious foes the annihilation they so 
richly deserve. Animated by the pure and 
holy courage of those who righteously defend 
the Fatherland, I pray Almighty God that If 
we must die, it may be only over the dead 
bodies of our enemies. God be with us! 

A Priest's Voice 

From battle, murder and sudden death — 

A Congregation's Voice 
Good Lord, deliver us ! 

God 

Does the Queen of Heaven ask that all these 
prayers be answered? 



12 The Twilight of the Gods 

Mary 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto 
me according to thy word. If those that 
seemed best might be answered . . . 

God 

No one seems to me better or worse than 
another. The boy must have his knife, cer- 
tainly . . . 

[A terrific explosion is heard, shaking the 
earth. Mary shudders and the sword in her 
heart quivers.'] 

Christ 

What was that, O my father? 

God 

Do you mean that sparrow which has just 
fallen to the ground, or that city which has 
been blown up and has dropped into the sea? 

A Military Band 
God save the King! 

A Mother's Voice 

I am the proudest woman in France to-day — 
I have given five sons to my country ! 



The Twilight of the Gods 13 

A Lad's Voice 

Slit the women's throats, comrades, burn the 
ricks, tie up the gold and come on! 

Children's Voices 

Jesus, tender shepherd, hear me, 
Bless thy little lamb to-night! 

Christ [gleaning over the cloudy 
I can hardly hear them, now . . . 
[There comes a sound as of metal striking 
on metal, and St. Peter appears before the 
throne^ robed and with heavy keys. He 
crosses himself haughtily.'] 

Peter 

In the name of the Father and of the Son 
and of the Holy Ghost ! [Kneeling stiffly to 
the Virgin] Hail Mary, full of Grace, the 
Lord is with thee ! — Am I to let them all in 
at once? 

God 

All! Are there more than usual, then? 

Peter 

More than usual? There have not been so 
many at one time since that ship went down, 



14 The Twilight of the Gods 

a little while back. There Is no one who 
feels for them at sea as I do : poor souls, the 
waves are ill to walk on ! I have never been 
easier with any . . . but this Is very differ- 
ent. And mind you, they say they have all 
been blessed beforehand and should be ex- 
cused any further waiting. One would think 
this was Valhalla, or whatever the heathen 
place was called. I locked the gate for a 
bit, to go Inside, and when I get In, what do 
I find? A worse to-do than without, I give 
you my word I There^s no holding them. 
Michael with his sword, forsooth! And of 
course it's no concern of mine, but you may 
remember what I said awhile back about 
making holy saints over night out of igno- 
rant peasant girls! Well ... I can tell 
you now that If she could get out she'd be 
down there In a minute ! She says she hears 
her voices again and that France needs her I 

Christ 

Simon, Simon I 

Peter 

Of course, I am only Peter — I am only the 



The Twilight of the Gods 15 



Rock on which God's church is built— who 
forsook the nets more quickly than I? 

Christ 

Even as she forsook the sheep. 

Peter [sullenly'] 

I deny that a woman can be called of God! 

Mary 

But I was called of God. 

Peter 

I deny that a woman is expected to bear a 

sword ! 

Mary 

But I have borne a sword — [She touches her 
heart] here— ever since I bore my son. 

Peter [loudly] 
I deny ... 

[A cock crows, and he goes out, weeping bit- 
terly.] 

A Regiment's Voice 

Bless our colors, Holy Father I 



1 6 The Twilight of the Gods 

A Dying Pope's Voice 
I bless peace. 

A Cathedral Choir's Voice [faintly] 

Eternal rest give him, O Lord, and let per- 
petual light shine on him. May he rest in 
peace, Amen. 
[Mary zceeps.] 

Christ [sternly] 

Woman, why weepest thou? 

Mary [meekly] 
Sir? 

Christ [taking her hand as a Son] 

mystical rose, tower of ivory, mother un- 
defiled, who hath given a new grief to the 
Queen of Heaven? 

Mary [sadly] 

1 weep because the shepherd of the world 
dies, and he, whose foot the kings of the 
earth have kissed, may not have his dying 
prayer granted! 



The Twilight of the Gods 17 

God [wearily'l 

But I could not hear his dying prayer! I 
would have been willing to grant it, undoubt- 
edly, but just at that moment the cannon be- 
gan. They should pray more loudly, or shoot 
more softly, down there. 

Mary [sobbing] 

If you* could only see the faces of the poor 
when they think of him — ah, he never forgot 
my poor, my blessed poor I 

God 

If they fill the air with smoke, they cannot 
expect me to see. With the incense it was 
hard enough, sometimes, but I always sup- 
posed they had their reasons for that. 

Christ [in a low voice] 

That was to cover the smell of the blood — 
in the old days. 

A Nun's Voice 

O saving victim, 
Slain for man — 



1 8 The Twilight of the Gods 

A Captain's Voice 

Pah! There's no standing up in it, it's all 
so slippery! Wipe out this trench, sergeant, 
and reach me that bayonet — wrench it out 
of his hand, then — he's dead enough for 
that! Has he a drink on him? — For his 
mother, he says? God! if I'm to remembe;: 
all the messages to mothers I've had told me 
to-day, I'd have no room in my head for 
orders! 

A Young Woman's Voice [through violins] 
It seems hardly right to be dancing here, 
when they're dying so fast across the 
ocean . . . 

A Trained Nurse's Voice 

Ether! Where's more ether? This is hor- 
rible ! — I can't keep him under, doctor. , . . 
What is the matter with the Red Cross? 
What are they for? 

The Voice of a Common Soldier 

Hey, comrade, can you give me a drop of 
that water? 



J The Twilight of the Gods 19 

The Voice of Another Common Soldier 
I am sorry, comrade, but my back is broken; 
It seems I can't move my arms. Help your- 
self. 

The Voice of the First 

I'm bleeding too fast; I was shot through 
the stomach. Well, It's all as God wills. 
Wasn't I fighting against you, the last time, 
hey? 

The Voice of the Second 

I believe so. It was only a few years ago 
. . . and now we're comrades-at-arms, aren't 
we? It seems queer . . . 

The Voice of the First 

What's the odds, now? It's all over with 
us. What was the trouble, anyhow? 

The Voice of the Second 

We never knew. In my country. One mo- 
ment I was holding my wife, just as her first 
pains came, and then they hurried us Into 
the ships. I don't mind dying for my Em- 
peror, but It was a hard time to leave her. 



20 The Twilight of the Gods 

The other children are so small and the win- 
ter's coming on . . . we're poor folk. They 
had nobody but me. 

The Voice of the First 

That's bad. My old woman's past all that 
trouble, Christ be praised, but it makes me 
sick to think of the wheat — we left it full 
stand, and the chargers tore through the best 
of It. God pity the poor this winter — that^s 
all I say I 

The Voice of the Second 

If the Gods ever pitied the poor, there would 
be no poor. 

The Voice of the First 

The Gods? So you're a heathen, are you? 
Oh yes, I remember when we fought you, ten 
years back, they told us you worshipped your 
ancestors, or some such wickedness. I won- 
der at you — and as near death as you are, 
tool 

The Voice of the Second 
You are as near. . . . 



The Twilight of the Gods 21 



The Voice of the First 

True, but I'm a Christian, you see. It's that 
makes all the difference. I took the Com- 
munion before we started. 

The Voice of the Second [feebly] 

Do you think, if I had been converted by 
that man in the black trousers, that urged 
me so, things would be easier now for the 
children . . . with the winter coming 
on ... ? 

The Voice of the First 

Surely. Without doubt. All heathen should 
be converted; it is their first duty. 

The Voice of the Second 
Then I wish I had done it. 

The Voice of the First 

That's the way to feel I If only I could 
move my arms, I'd baptize you, myself, com- 
rade, but I can't feel my fingers, now. 

The Voice of a Boy-choir 

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to 
guide their feet into the way of peace ! 



22 The Twilight of the Gods 

The Voice of the First 

What's that? Jesus Christ, it's the angels, 
singing! Then I'm really dying ... it 
doesn't seem possible, with the wheat left that 
way! 

The Voice of the Second 

Oh, this pain ! Oh ! I'm torn to pieces in- 
side! Water! water! They'll starve with- 
out me — patience, patience, it will soon be 
born, wife ! — 0-o-o-h ! 

The Voice of the First 

He's gone, poor fellow. Well, there's no 
doubt as to my boys — the three of them went 
when the first shell burst thisl morning. God 
bless the Czar! God save Holy Russia! 
\_He dies'] 

Children's Voices [faintly] 

Jesus, tender shepherd, hear 



Christ [striding to the extreme edge of the 
cloud] 

Father ! my father ! I can barely hear them I 
What does it mean? 



The Twilight of the Gods 23 

Mary [quietly] 

They have no food, and their voices are 
weak. Then, too, the noise is growing deaf- 
ening. 

[A bomb explodes, violently, high in the air. 
The airship that carried it is shattered and 
scatters to the winds. Broken fragments of 
human bodies fall into the sea. A vessel 
filled with corn and a huge man-of-war load- 
ed with troops break amidships, and sink 
slowly under the waves.] 

A Clergyman's Voice 

But I say unto you, love your enemies, do 
good to them which hate you, bless them that 
curse you, and pray for them which despite- 
fully use you. 

College Students' Voices 

Onward Christian soldiers, 
Marching as to war, 
With the cross of Jesus — 

Christ [turning away weeping] 

My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken 

me? 

[The smoke from the bomb grows so thick 



24 The Twilight of the Gods 

as to obscure the vault gradually ; the faces 
of the Trinity can be seen but dimly. They 
appear to flicker and grow pale. All is dark- 
ness.^ 

SCENE II 

As the extreme darkness dissipates^ a grey 
twilight takes its place, and when this has set- 
tled itself y it is seen that there are no longer any 
stars nor any light from the sapphire throne, 
which is so indistinct in its outline as to resemble 
a pillar of cloud. In the midst of this Jehovah 
is dimly seen. He is alone. There is a great 
silence. Then slowly, out of the shadowy 
depths, vague forms begin to he visible, shifting 
and changing like clouds in the windy sky. One 
of these emerges from the rest and moves to- 
ward Jehovah, more distinct than the others. 
It seems to be a man of great dignity with a 
long mantle and a patch over one eye. Another 
with a wound turban and a curved scimitar fol- 
lows him. A majestic Woman of unearthly 
height, bearing a shield and draped in a classic 
tunic, stands like a statue. Far back behind the 
pillar a great Bull moves, rustling faintly, and 



The Twilight of the Gods 25 

behind this again, the wavering outline of a 
human body with the face of a Ram. A winged 
Serpent, so dim as to be hardly seen, with a 
Fishes head, coils and uncoils like a mist wreath. 
The sound of the flowing of the River Nile is 
now heard, and beneath it one can distinguish, 
at intervals, the roar of the ocean, through 
miles of space, 

Jehovah 

I am that I am. Who are here besides My- 
self? 



WOTAN 

There are many of Us here — brother I Or 
rather, thou art here with the rest of Us. 

Jehovah \_severely^ 

I am the Lord thy God : thou shalt have no 
other gods before me. 

WOTAN 

Naturally. We have all felt that in our 
time. But since you are here . . . 



26 The Twilight of the Gods 

Jehovah 

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 
image — 

Pallas Athene [in a voice like a distant bell] 
To this image, O Jove of the Hebrews, thou- 
sands of thousands have kneeled — and I am 
here. 

Jehovah 

— Or any likeness of anything that is in 
heaven above — 

A Voice [from a barely distinguishable cloud, 
like a draped figure of darkness, with the 
crescent moon upon Its head] 
And yet to me, the violet, brooding Night of 
Egypt, more tears have been wept than the 
Nile holds drops! 

WOTAN 

Who art Thou, Darkness? 

The Voice 

I am Maut, the mother. Truly I was old 
before thou wast born, Jahveh — and I am 
here. 



The Twilight of the Gods 27 



Jehovah 

— Or that Is In the earth beneath — 

The Bull [in a mellow rumble^ 

O brother, look upon Indra the mighty I 
They who sacrificed to me In thousands were 
dust ere yet thou madest thy first man from 
dust — and I am here. 

Jehovah 

— Or that IS In the water under the earth — 

The Coiling Serpent [rustling and hissing 
from his Fish's head] 

Surely, youngest of Us, maidens were led 
down to Dagon In sacrifice, and were for- 
gotten of Dagon, ere Eve was made a 
mother! And I am here. 

[The air becomes thick with crowding, shad- 
owy shapes: hideous, battered idols, rude and 
savage sy?nbols, phallic figures, hundred- 
breasted, bird-headed monsters, outlines of 
pagodas, Doric pillars, great stone crom- 
lechs and Druid altars. Clouds of old and 
withered incense rise faintly through the dim- 



28 The Twilight of the Gods 

ness, and the wails and coughs of slaughtered 
beasts are heard at irregular intervals 
through all that follows, mingled with the 
mutter of priests in all tongues, the chant of 
choirs, the tears and groans of women.^ 

Jehovah [firmly] 

— For I the Lord thy God am a jealous 
God— 

Mohammed [boldly] 

— Without doubt You were all jealous, al- 
ways. Even I was jealous for Allah, who 
will live longer than most of You, because 
there are no images of Him to defile and no 
pictures of Him to misunderstand. If they 
cannot see You, they will respect You longer. 

A Voice from the Gods 

But if they cannot see Us they will not love 

Us! 

Jehovah 

No man hath seen God at any time — 

Mohammed [scornfully] 

What! When Moses and Aaron, Nadab, 



The Twilight of the Gods 29 

and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Is- 
rael went up Into the mount! 

Jehovah [confusedly] 

Behold, it is a stiff-necked people . . . 

Mohammed [impatiently] 

You are always thinking of Your Israelites — 
You are Three how (may Allah forgive such 
foolishness!) not One. Do you not recall 
that You changed, a while ago? Since the 
Nazarene, things have been very different — 
I cracked many a skull In my day, to prove 
him wrong, that Nazarene! I could never 
understand how they could stomach all that 
meekness . . . The fellow would not even 
fight for his life. 

WoTAN [growling] 

It was no belief for a man. No wonder they 
left It to the women, at the last. It Is only 
war that keeps the world sweet — they decay 
like ants when they cease to fight. Aye, they 
breed and bloat and stink like maggots, and 
eat each other. Faugh! 



30 The Twilight of the Gods 

The Singing Voice of a Missionary 

The support of the audience is earnestly re- 
quested for our final tremendous effort: The 
World for Christ 1 Never before has the 
growth of Christianity been so enormous, so 
vital. Never before, since that Birth at 
Bethlehem, have such masses of human souls, 
spread over such stupendous areas of the 
earth's surface, confessed their Lord and 
Master Christ as Almighty God. 
[There is a silence. The Gods look at one 
another, surprised. A spear clangs on a 
shield, and the majestic statue-woman 
moves.~\ 

Pallas Athene [coldly] 

If these things are so, why are You here, 
Jahveh? 

All the Gods 

Yes! Why is He here? 

A Vast Figure [draped in a lion skin, with 
an enormous club] 
Perhaps Jahveh means Us to understand 



The Twilight of the Gods 31 

that He Is only a tribal God, like Myself, 
and that the One they now call God — 

Jehovah [angrily] 

Not at all. I am Alpha and Omega, the 
beginning and the end — 

A Congregation's Voice 

Neither confounding the Persons nor divid- 
ing the Substance. For there Is one Person 
of the Father, another of the Son, and an- 
other of the Holy Ghost . . . 

Hercules 

What! Then It Is as I said — ^You are not 
that Son? 

A Congregation's Voice 

And yet they are not three eternals, but one 
eternal . . . 

Hercules 

Then You are the God of Battles? 

The Voice of St. John 
God is love. 



32 The Twilight of the Gods 

The Voice of a Woman [she is long-haired, 
upon a flying-horse, shooting like a star 
across the gloomi 

All-Father! Wotan! Wake, arise! They 
are crowding in so fast we cannot carry 
them ! The old days are here again ! The 
world makes war! See — they are trooping 
up from below and from below that, again! 
There are the old ones, with spears, and 
armor on the horses — look, the Kings! See 
the Red Cross they wear — 

Voices of Crusaders 

On to Jerusalem ! Save the Holy Sepulchre ! 

Jehovah [frowning] 

Jerusalem? Jerusalem? Forty years long 
have I suffered this generation — 

Mohammed [angrily] 

Always your Israelites ! It is Thy sepulchre, 
Thine/ Oh, the dogs! At them, at them, 
all true believers ! There is but one God and 
Mohammed is His prophet! At them! 



The Twilight of the Gods 



33 



The Voice of Christ 

O Jerusalem, thou that klllest the prophets ! 
How often would I have gathered thy chil- 
dren together — < 

The Valkyr 

There is a woman, too, with a red cross — she 
tends them when they are wounded ... is 
she also fighting, All-Father? 

WoTAN [puzzled] 

I cannot understand them nowadays. The 
same sign serves for killing and curing. 

The Valkyr [peering through the dusk] 
There is the little man that fought there- 
abouts, before — he that died on the island. 
He cheers them on . . . there is the tall one 
that wore the wreath and was stabbed — he is 
hurrying his legions. There is the Maid that 
rode the white horse — she is weeping be- 
cause the angels will not bring her armor. 
She says God wished her to wear the armor, 
before . . . why does He dislike it now, All- 
Father? 



34 The Twilight of the Gods 

WoTAN [with vexation] 

No one knows. He Is very confusing. I be- 
lieve myself that He cannot make up His 
mind . . . 

Mohammed [smoothly'] 

He and His Son, perhaps, are not quite 
agreed. 

The Voice of Christ 

Bellevest thou not that I am in the Father 
and the Father in me? The words that I 
speak, I speak not of myself . . . 

The Valkyr 

Ah! Fourscore slain at once! Truly, All- 
Father, we were but children, in those days ! 
See, one little round ball of Iron will travel 
five leagues and then go through four men! 
And the larger balls have fire in them — they 
burst and shatter a company of fighters! 
Their galleys fly through the air, even as we, 
and drop death upon whole towns! 

An Archbishop's Voice 

George, defender of the Faith — 



The Twilight of the Gods 35 

A Newsboy's Voice 

The Emperor's son Is dead! 

A Priest's Voice 

Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord! 

The Valkyr 

Thousands — a score of thousands, All- 
Father, in one battle! W^ill there be any 
left upon the earth? 

All the Gods [anxiously crowding together'\, 
Will there be any left? 

WoTAN 

I — I cannot tell. 

Mohammed 

We must ask Brahm. 

Jehovah [looking out from the pillar of 
cloudy 
Where is He ? 

Mohammed 

He is nowhere and everywhere . . . He is 
the oldest — and the greatest. None has seen 



:^6 The Twilight of the Gods 

Him, which makes Him greater than You, 
Jahveh; nor has He need of a prophet, which 
makes Him, I must suppose, greater than 
Allah. O Brahm, are men to vanish from 
this Thy earth? 

The Voice of Brahm 

There must always be men, in order that We 
may be. 

WOTAN 

But they change, Brahm, they change. We 
are afraid . . . 

The Voice of Brahm [wearily] 

They never change. It is We who change — 
they are ever the same. 

WoTAN 

But they die — » 

The Voice of Brahm 

In order that We may be sure of living. 

Jehovah 

And We live — ■ 



The Twilight of the Gods 37 

The Voice of Brahm 

In order that they may be sure of dying. 



Mohammed [muttering'] 

Then we are living to some purpose, for they 
are dying very rapidly, it appears. And 
Brahm Is right, when He says that they never 
change. But We understood that You, 
Jahveh, had agreed to change them — and 
You are here, like the rest of Us. Who, 
then, are We to understand, now rules the 
world ? 

\_J writing appears on the grey mist:'\ 
AND I, IF I be lifted UP, WILL DRAW ALL 

men unto me ! 

Mohammed 

The Nazarene? Certainly, he was lifted 
up . . . But We know what he said — We 
all know what he said . . . 

The Voice of Christ [from a mountain\ 
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall 
be called the children of God. 



38 The Twilight of the Gods 

WoTAN [solemnly~\ 

Enough of this folly, Jahveh; are they Yours, 
below there, or your Son's? 

Jehovah [ahnost inaudibly^ 
They are my Son's. 

[He enters the pillar of cloud and fades hack 
among the other Gods, who begin to grow 
dim and shapeless.^ 

Mohammed \_who is a little less shadowy than 
the others^- 

Then let the Nazarene appear! Let him join 
Us, or explain to Us why he does not join 

Us. 

All the Gods [querulously^ 
Let him appear! 

Mohammed 

Call him, Brahm. Call the Nazarene! 

The Voice of Brahm 

Carpenter, and Son of a Carpenter, appear ! 
[There enters a Man crowned with thorns, 
bent heavily beneath a great cross.] 



The Twilight of the Gods 39 

The Voice of John the Baptist 
Behold the Lamb of God I 

The Voice of Pontius Pilate 

Thine own nation and the chief priests have 
delivered thee unto me; what hast thou 
done? 

The Man 

My kingdom Is not of this world; if my king- 
dom were of this world, then would my ser- 
vants fight . . . but now is my kingdom not 
from hence. 

All the Gods 

Then, where Is thy kingdom? 

The Man [with infinite sorrow^ 

Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have 
nests, but the Son of Man hath not where 
to lay his head I 

The Voice of a Crowd 

What need we any further witness? For we 
ourselves have heard of his own mouth ! 



40 The Twilight of the Gods 

Mohammed [impatiently] 

Then, you give them up, dowrx there? You 
acknowledge that you are not their God? 

The Voice of the Crowd 
Crucify him! Crucify him I 

The Voice of Brahm [dreamily] 

This same . . . always the same . . . they 
never change . . . 

WoTAN [eagerly] 

Indeed that is so, Carpenter. They never 
change ! Give them to Us ! Give them 
back! Myself, I should be ashamed to be 
the God of a people that would not fight! 

Mohammed 

When I ceased to lead them in battle, Allah 
ceased to conquer the world. Give them to 
Me! 

Pallas Athene 

I was never pictured without my helmet — 
when my children forgot the art of war, all 
their arts ceased with it. Give them to Me, 
O peasant whose body is not even beautiful! 



The Twilight of the Gods 



41 



Shiva [sadly] 

Mine were never strong enough for battle, 
and so, praying aloud to thee, with bloody 
swords, those soldiers of thine conquered and 
ruled My millions. 

The Man gently] 

Greater is he that ruleth his spirit than he 
that taketh a city. 

WOTAN [with greater impatience than before] 
But they do not think so ! They pretended 
to believe it, for a time, but when it comes to 
the point, look at them! Those were only 
words — in their hearts they have never 
changed, Carpenter ! They move about more 
quickly, they are very clever, and they have 
more to eat, and they know how to talk to 
one another from great distances; but at 
heart they are the same as when they burned 
themselves on My funeral pyres ! 

Moloch 
Or Mine! 

The Voice of Brahm 

The same . . . always the same . . . 



42 The Twilight of the Gods 

All the Gods 

Give them to Us! Give them back! 
[The man of sorrows sinks down under the 
Cross. The roar of the ocean becomes again 
the thunder of heavy cannon; the incense he- 
comes acrid smoke; the cries of the sacrificial 
victims change to the groans and screams of 
the dying. Sharp flashes of lurid light leap 
across the clouds from the flying, falling 
bombs. In these flashes the faces of the 
Gods become brighter, their expression more 
violent and vivid. The rattle of drums and 
the shriek of fifes, the neighing of horses, 
the clash of swords, increase furiously.'] 

The Voices of an Army [singing] 
A mighty fortress is our God I 

WoTAN [brandishing his spear] 

Come! Come! To me, my brave heroes! 

The Valkyr [leaping on her horse, and shout- 
ing] 
Ho-yo-to-ho ! 



The Twilight of the Gods 43 



Mohammed [wildlyl 

Death ! Death and Paradise I 

The Voices of the Children [dyin^ faintly'] 
Jesus, tender . . . 
[All is lost in the rolling smoke.] 



